Roof



March 9 11926. A 1,576,482

G. P. LEHN ROOF Filed March 20, 1924 3 5 \///1// nl /l/ l /l/l/ l :nu lll/11 n n 1 f, H w r l l ,In

' v. l ATTORNEYS. f 3 7/ E //S 3 Patented Mar. 9, 1.926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. LEHN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES GYPSUM COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ROOF.

Application led March 20, 1924. Serial No. 700,470.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. LEHN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Roofs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in roofs or floors for buildings of any character and more particularly to a light weight, non-conductive roo-f of plastic material poured upon an inexpensive easily erected frame to form a reinforced monolithic structure.

The lightness and non-conductivity of calcined gypsum has long been recognized and heretofore has been employed in poured roofs and floors to form a monolithic structure. Its ability to bend to the paper covering of plaster boa-rd has also been utilized in such roof construction by employing plaster boards of that type for centering 1n which the plaster boards become the under surface of the roof or floor.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, easily erected and inexpensive roof or floor of this character in which re-' inforced plaster boards form a part to add to the strength of the roof and assist in its rapid erection.

IVith this and other objects in view reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawing illustrating one form of'thisinvention, yet it is to be understood that minor detail changes may be made therein without depart-ing from the scope thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a view in perspective of a roof or floor constructed in accordance with this invention before the plastic body is poured thereon.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary v1ew 1n vertical section through the completed roof or fioorl parallel to the sub-purlins.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in vertical section at right angles to Figure 2.

This improved roof or floor construction includes the usual purlins l, preferably of channel iron, with sub-purlins 2, preferably of light weight railroad rails, laid thereacross and at right angles thereto, with plaster boards 3 between the sub-purlins supported upon the base anges of the rails which will support the plastic body when poured thereover and become an integral part thereof when set.

The plaster boards are provided with one or more strengthening or reinforcing members 4 secured thereto arranged at right angles to the sub-purlins which reinforcements preferably extend above the sub-purlins and perform an additional function, as hereinafter described. A reinforcing fabric 5, preferably a spot welded wire mesh, is laid across the sub-purlins with the strands cut to allow the fabric to drop or sag toward the plaster board on each side of the reinforcements 4 and may be in a singlesheet or made up of overlapping sections.

While this construction may be applied to lioors as well as roofs, it is particularly adapted to the erection of roofs and more particularly to roofs with a sharp incline. It is customary to erect the purlins in roofs extending from the ridge of the roof to the eaves with the sub-purlins supported thereon and laid thereon vparallel to the eaves. The plaster board which is laid between the sub-purlins and which is supported upon the base flanges thereof is made commercially in 32 inch and 48 inch Widths and is obtainable in any desired lengths.

It is contemplated in this invention to provide the plaster boards of sufficient length so that they will span the distance between purlins with 'their abutting edges meeting at the center lines of the purlins, thereby presenting a continuous surface on the underside above the purlins and between the sub-purlins. With plaster boards of such dimensions there is a possibility that the weight of the body 6 when poured thereover will cause the boards to sag or become depressed between the supported edges before the body sets. To prevent such a possibility the strengthening or reinforcing members l are provided. While these members may be of any material and dimensions as long as they span the distance between the sub-purlins and are secured to the plaster board, it is preferable to form them of wood, of lthe saine length as the width of the board or where rail sub-purlins'are employed of lengths equaling the distance between the balls of the rails when in place and of a ,height above the board when in place to extend as high as or a little above the tops of the sub-purlins. One or more of such members may be secured to each board preferably by nails 7 driven through the board into the member.

While it is at present the custom to space the sub-purlins at distances equaling the widths of commercial boards it may be desirable to increase the distance between them which will necessitate placing the boards lengthwise therebetween and in such cases the reinforcing members are secured lengthwise of the boards and are necessary in the greater lengths to prevent the centers of the boards from sagging or becoming depressed by the weight of the poured body before it sets.

In roof constructions of this type it is customary to begin at the eaves and work toward the ridge and it has been found in practice that, in roofs having a steep incline particularly, the weight of the sub-purlins and boards as they are added one above the other create such a strain upon the boards adjacent the eaves as to cause them to deform. The reinforcing members secured to the boards in accordance with this invention also act as spacers between the subpurlins. The sub-purlins being secured at the eaves and the next adjacent one being laid approximately in position, the board is put in 'position with one edge supported upon the fixed sub-purlinland the one next adjacent moved so that its near flange will support the other edge of the board with the members secured transversely thereto upon theboard contacting with the ball of the rails to act as spacers therebetween and also take up the strain of the weight of the succeeding lines of boards and suburlins as they are laid in approaching the ridge of the roof.

As seen in Figure 1, after the sub-purlins and boards are laid a metal reinforcing fabric, preferably composed of spaced apart strands of heavy wire spot welded to each other where they cross, is laid over the entire structure which fabric is slitted to allow the board strengthening and spacing members to enter therethrough or may be of such width to be laid therebetween. In either case the strands rest upon the balls of the rails and drop or sag downward toward the center of the boards to form a cradle for the spacing members of the boards which are entirely covered by the body with their ends supported by the metal fabric reinforcement. A roof or floor covering 8, of any desired material, is then applied to the upper surface of the plastic body 6.

The members 4 may be advantageously utilized as bases upon which to rest screeds used in leveling the poured roof body as they are of uniform distance above the under side of the roof or floor. Furthermore the members 4l are of great advantage where a wooden floor or slate roof covering is to be applied to the upper surface of the poured body, as shown in Figure 3. In this case the sleeper or railing strips 9 are nailed to the upper surface of the members and positively secure the covering thereto.

What I claim is:

1. In a roof or floor construction, flanged supporting members, plaster boards supported upon the flanges of said members, reinforcing members secured to the plaster boards between their edges extending between said supporting members, and a plastic body supported upon the plaster boards and embedding the reinforcing and supporting members.

2. In a roof or floor construction, flanged supporting members, plaster boards supported upon the flanges of said members, reinforcing members secured intermediate the ends of the plaster boards extending between said supporting members and with their ends supported upon the flanges thereof, and a plastic body su ported upon the plaster boards and embed ing the reinforcing and supportin members.

3. In a roof or oor construction, flanged supporting members, plaster boards supported upon the flanges of said members, reinforcing members secured to the plaster' boards intermediate their length and extending between, supported upon and engaging the supporting members to hold them in spaced relation to each other, and a plastic body supported upon the plaster boards and embedding the reinforcing and supporting members.

4.-. In a roof or floor construction, flanged supporting members, plaster boards supported upon the flanges of said members, reinforcing members secured to the plaster boards extending between and above the supporting members, a reinforcing metal fabric extending over the supporting members, and between the reinforcing members and a plastic body bonded to the plaster boards, surrounding the reinforcing fabric and embedding the reinforcing and supporting members.

5. In a roof or floor construction, flanged supporting members, plaster boards supported upon the flanges of said members, reinforcing and spacing members secured to the plaster boards intermediate their ends and extending between, supported upon and engaging the supporting members, a metal reinforcing fabrlc extending over the supporting members between the reinforcing and s acing members, and a plastic body bonded) to the plaster boards, surrounding the metal fabric and embedding the supporting members and reinforcing and spacing members. v

6. In a roof or iioor construction, anged supporting members, plaster boards supported upon the flanges of said members, reinforcing andspacing members secured to the plaster boa-rds extending between, supported upon and extending above said supporting' members, a metal reinforcing fabric extending over the supporting members between the reinforcing and spacing members, sleepers resting upon the upper edges of the reinforcing and spacing members-and secured thereto, and a plastic body bonded to the plaster boards, surrounding the metal reinforcing fabric and embedding the supporting members, the reinforcing and spacing members and the sleeper.

GEORGE P. LEHN. 

